I could be wrong but I believe this will be the first ever Mike Oldfield album to use either of the Mellotron and Clavioline classic synths. Those alone will be awesome to hear. Its also nice to see the Hammond Organ, combo organs and Arp Solina String Ensemble returning as well.

--------------"It is good to be on Horseback" - Mike Oldfield "On Horseback"

I could be wrong but I believe this will be the first ever Mike Oldfield album to use either of the Mellotron and Clavioline classic synths.

Mellotron isn't a technically synth…

But Mike has had Mellotron before, I'm not sure if he actually used them. I was wondering if the organs, Solina and Mellotron were real or virtual (all of them are available, and they sound really good).

I'd worry about a Mellotron in the heat and humidity of the Bahamas, but I suppose Mike is up to arranging some temperature and humidity control for his studio

Mike indeed owned a Mellotron from the Incantations era (circa 1978) until selling it in the Songs Of Distant Earth era (circa 1994) however its very unlikely he ever recorded any music with it, live or studio. There's certainly none of the characteristic Mellotron sounds in any of Mike's past music although the Polymoog's oboe sound near the end of Incantations Part 4 does sound very Mellotron like. Also, after Mike's combo organ era from 1972 to 1978 (which also occasionally featured the Hammond, Solina, Arp 2600 and even a real orchestra and choir) and when not using a real orchestra and choir, Mike seemed to have had a preference for using polyphonic analog synths for orchestral and choir sounds such as the Prophet 5, Oberheim Ob-Xa, Arp Solina, Roland VP-330 and Polymoog. From 1978 he used a combination of these along with the Fairlight Series of computer synths from 1981 for orchestral and choir sounds until 1985 which was the point when he began using polyphonic digital synths for virtually every electronic keyboard sound with the rare appearance of an analog organ and/or analog synth on Amarok, Heavens Open, Tubular Bells II, Tubular Bells 2003 and On The Rocks.

--------------"It is good to be on Horseback" - Mike Oldfield "On Horseback"

However, as this other forum discussion believes, it is but a Mellotron that EMI bought (one of two FX models), which is the one that The Beatles used in subsequent recordings. The Strawberry Fields Forever Mark II model was a hired one that it is assumed got hired once too often, and is no longer with us. But we're always only a heartbeat away from a bit of research that'll prove it's been in someone's basement for 40 years!

Paul McCartney is indeed the current owner of EMI and Mike's former property. I've not found a direct source of that sale, but this last little link does at least suggest it was a nice little earner! http://www.vemia.co.uk/mellotron/

--------------"Who was that?""That was Venger - the force of Evil! I am Dungeon Master - your guide in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons!"